Wilhelm Heinrich Börger (14 February 1896 – 29 June 1962) was a German

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

functionary and SS-''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as '' Untergruppenführer'' in ...

''. He held several administrative positions, including as a Trustee of Labour and a Ministerial Director in the Reich Ministry of Labor. He also sat as a member of the '' Reichstag'' and the

Prussian State Council The Prussian State Council ( German: ''Preußischer Staatsrat'') was the second chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Free State of Prussia between 1921 and 1933; the first chamber was the Prussian Landtag (). The members of the State Cou ...

. Following the defeat of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

for three years and released.

Early life

Börger was born in Kray, a borough of

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

. After attending ''

Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' () generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primar ...

'', he was

apprenticed Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulate ...

as a

locksmith Locksmithing is the work of creating and bypassing locks. Locksmithing is a traditional trade and in many countries requires completion of an apprenticeship. The level of formal education legally required varies by country, ranging from no formal ...

and then worked as a

journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

at the Dahlbusch

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...

in Rotthausen (today, part of

Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; ) is the List of cities in Germany by population, 25th-most populous city of Germany and the 11th-most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher, Emscher River (a tribu ...

). From January 1915 to November 1918, Börger took part in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a marine artillery mechanic in the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

. He served with the

High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...

aboard the '' SMS Friedrich der Grosse'' and participated in the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...

. After the end of the war, he returned to the colliery. He subsequently held jobs as a locksmith on the railway, in a paper factory, a chemical factory and an agricultural machine factory. From 1925 to 1930, he was employed by the city of

Neuss Neuss (; written ''Neuß'' until 1968; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its ...

. Börger began to be politically active around 1920. In 1924, he ran unsuccessfully for the

Landtag of Prussia The Landtag of Prussia () was the representative assembly of the Kingdom of Prussia implemented in 1849, a bicameralism, bicameral legislature consisting of the upper Prussian House of Lords, House of Lords (''Herrenhaus'') and the lower Prussian ...

as a member of the

National Socialist Freedom Party The National Socialist Freedom Movement (, NSFB) or National Socialist Freedom Party (, NSFP) was a short-lived political party in Weimar Germany created in April 1924 during the aftermath of the Beer Hall Putsch. Adolf Hitler and many Nazi lea ...

.Wilhelm Börger entry, p. 64
i
''Das Deutsche Führerlexikon 1934-1935''
/ref>

Nazi Party career

On 1 September 1929, Börger joined the

(membership number 150,841) and became its ''

Ortsgruppenleiter ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' (Local Group Leader) was a Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, Nazi Party political rank and title which existed between 1930 and 1945. The term first came into being during the German elections of 1930, and was held by t ...

'' (Local Group Leader) in Neuss that same year. As an '' Alter Kampfer'', he would later be awarded the

Golden Party Badge __NOTOC__ The Golden Party Badge () was an award authorised by Adolf Hitler in a decree in October 1933. It was a special award given to all Nazi Party members who had, as of 9 November 1933, registered numbers from 1 to 100,000 (issued on 1 Oc ...

. Börger was employed by the Party as a public speaker and agitator. In 1930, he advanced to ''

Kreisleiter (; "District A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several mu ...

'' (County Leader) and, from 1932, he was the ''Landesobmann-West'' (West Regional Chairman) of the

National Socialist Factory Cell Organization The National Socialist Factory Cell Organization (, NSBO or NSBZO) was a Labor union, workers organization in Nazi Germany. In 1927, some NSDAP workers in large factories, located mostly in the Berlin area, joined as an alternative to Social dem ...

. At the parliamentary election of September 1930, Börger was elected as a deputy of the '' Reichstag'' for electoral constituency 22 ( Düsseldorf East). Following the

Nazi seizure of power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...

, he retained his seat as a member of the '' Reichstag'' until the fall of the Nazi regime. Börger received a teaching position in German Socialism at the

University of Cologne The University of Cologne () is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in 1388. It closed in 1798 before being re-established in 1919. It is now one of the largest universities in Germany with around 45,187 students. The Universit ...

in May 1933. He then briefly headed the German Metalworkers Association before being appointed as a Trustee of Labour for the

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...

on 13 June 1933 in the Reich Ministry of Labor under ''

Reichsminister Reichsminister (in German singular and plural; 'minister of the realm') was the title of members of the German Government during two historical periods: during the March Revolution of 1848/1849 in the German Reich of that period, and in the mode ...

Franz Seldte Tobias Wilhelm Franz Seldte (29 June 18821 April 1947) was a German reactionary politician who served as the Reich Minister for Labour in Nazi Germany.Stackelberg (2007). ''The Routledge Companion to Nazi Germany'', p. 243. Prior to his minist ...

. On 12 October 1933, Prussian Minister president

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

appointed him to the recently reconstituted

. Börger was appointed by

Reich President ( ; ) is a German word whose meaning is analogous to the English word "realm". The terms and are respectively used in German in reference to empires and kingdoms. In English usage, the term " Reich" often refers to Nazi Germany, also call ...

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...

to the board of directors of the ''

Reichspost ''Reichspost'' (; "Imperial Mail") was the name of the postal service of Germany from 1866 to 1945. ''Deutsche Reichspost'' Upon the outbreak of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the break-up of the German Confederation in the Peace of P ...

'' and by President of the ''

Reichsbank The ''Reichsbank'' (; ) was the central bank of the German Empire from 1876 until the end of Nazi Germany in 1945. Background The monetary institutions in Germany had been unsuited for its economic development for several decades before unifica ...

Hjalmar Schacht Horace Greeley Hjalmar Schacht (); 22 January 1877 – 3 June 1970) was a German economist, banker, politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank during the ...

to its board of directors. He was also a member of the Population and Policy Committee of the

Reich Ministry of the Interior The Federal Ministry of the Interior (, ; abbreviated BMI) is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is in Berlin, with a secondary seat in Bonn. The current minister is Nancy Faeser. It is comparable ...

. On 16 July 1935, he received an honorary professorship and became head of the Institute for German Social Policy at the University of Cologne. On 1 October 1938, Börger was promoted to Ministerial Director in the Labor Ministry, overseeing Main Department I (General Administration), and also was appointed as a special trustee (''Sonderstreuhänder'') for mining.Wilhelm Börger ''curriculum vitae''
in th
Independent Commission of Historians to Research the History of the Reich Ministry of Labor 1933–1945
/ref> A member of the SS since 1935 (SS number 247,066), he was assigned to the

SS Race and Settlement Main Office The SS Race and Settlement Main Office (''Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt der SS'', RuSHA) was the organization responsible for "safeguarding the racial purity of the SS" within Nazi Germany. One of its duties was to oversee the marriages of SS p ...

, the organization responsible for safeguarding the "racial purity" of the SS. Börger attained his final promotion to SS-''

'' on 30 January 1939. Börger was also the editor of published works on National Socialist philosophy, including ''Angewandte Rassenkunde für jedermann'' (Applied Racial Studies for Everyone) that was published in 1933. Börger is also credited with coining the term ''Reichskristallnacht'', in a speech at

Lüneburg Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...

on 24 June 1939, to describe the Jewish pogrom of November 1938.

Post-war life

After Germany's defeat in the

, Börger was detained and taken to an internment camp at

Hessisch Lichtenau Hessisch Lichtenau () is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in eastern Hesse, Germany. In 2006, the town hosted the 46th Hessentag state festival. Geography Location Hessisch Lichtenau lies in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis 20 km southeast o ...

, then transferred to

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

and was released in 1948. In his

de-nazification Denazification () was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Par ...

process, he was initially classified as category III (minor offender) and later reduced to category IV (follower). He returned to Essen and became a sales representative for paints and varnishes. He unsuccessfully sued to obtain his civil service pension and died in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

in 1962.

References

Sources

* * * *
Wilhelm Börger ''curriculum vitae''
in th
Independent Commission of Historians to Research the History of the Reich Ministry of Labor 1933–1945

External links